Fundraising

You Can Do It!

For many people, the idea of raising $3,300 to $4,000 dollars can be as daunting as the idea of climbing a 14,000-foot mountain. You can do both! In fact, many people find fundraising to be one of the most surprising, rewarding parts of their experience. Read about the fundraising tools you have to help you, and check out the tips and suggestions. BAWT will be here to help you every step of the way!

Fundraising Tools

1. Support from BAWT: Personal Fundraising Support Calls

Need help or ideas about how to raise funds for Climbing for Kids? Don’t know who to send donation requests to? Call our Climbing for Kids team to chat about your fundraising goals! They can talk with you about past success stories, the best fundraising techniques, how to use BAWT’s online tools most effectively, and any other questions you may need answered to reach your goal. Call (510) 452-2298 ext. 303 todayto schedule a support talk.

3. Letterhead and Reply Envelopes

Handwritten notes are a great way to ask for donations. Include a pre-addressed BAWT return envelope to make it easy for your donors to send a check. We will also supply BAWT thank-you cards upon request.

4. Social Networking Sites

If you have a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account, let people know about your climb by posting to your status. While you’re there, you can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

5. Corporate Matching Gifts

Your donors can submit matching gift requests to their employers. Many companies participate. Ask your donors to contact their HR department for details. Earth Island Institute, BAWT’s parent organization, is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible nonprofit and our tax ID number is 94-2889684. This is the organization ID (also known as Federal Identification Number/FIN or Employer Identification Number/EIN). Checks should be made out to Bay Area Wilderness Training but may also be made out to Earth Island Institute if they include Bay Area Wilderness Training and the climber’s name in the memo or the donation letter.

6. Gifts of Stock

Gifts of stock may be transferred to the Schwab account of BAWT’s parent organization, Earth Island Institute. For more information about making a gift of stock and a gift of stock transfer form, click here.

Common Questions

1. Are donations tax deductible?

Bay Area Wilderness Training is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute. All donations made on behalf of a climber by someone other than the climber him or herself are fully tax-deductible. If you donate on behalf of your own climb, the tax-deductible amount of your donation is equal to the total donation minus the value of goods and services you have received in return. This amount varies between climbs so check with your Climb Coordinator for specifics.

Note: If you use donation sites like WePay or Paypal to collect money, your donors won’t be able to get the tax write-off that BAWT provides. It is easier if you simply give interested donors your direct link provided on your personal Climbing for Kids donation page

2. How is the money I raise used?

BAWT works with over 300 youth agencies, helping them create and implement outdoor education programs. Working directly with these groups has enabled BAWT to help over thousands of kids experience the wilderness. The money you raise is used to fund BAWT programs like our free Gear Libraries, mini-grants and scholarships, and outdoor leadership training courses for local teachers and youth leaders. It also supports first-time camping experiences like our Camping at the Presidio program. For more information visit www.bawt.org.